Tour in the north-west of the Chevreuse Valley

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A very beautiful hike to discover the wonderful rural and natural landscape of the north-west of the Chevreuse Valley, offering a radical change of scenery from the urban and commercial area of Coignières.

Details

n°56362
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 17.71 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 124 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 130 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 167 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 92 m
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Photos

spring colours.
maincourt woods.
Le Pommeret.
Rural path

Description of the walk

Starting point: The small pond in Coignières, east of the N10 and the railway line. You can park in the small free car park by the pond.

(S/E) Take Chemin de Bellepanne, opposite the pond, heading east-southeast. This is actually theGR®11 trail, which follows this path with woods on one side and fields on the other.
You will immediately feel far away from the hustle and bustle of the Coignières shopping area. You will pass a farm and, at the end, you will arrive at the hamlet of Le Pommeret.

(1) Continue along the Route du Pommeret, where you will find some rather unusual letterboxes, and walk through gardens planted with apple trees until you reach Lévis Saint-Nom, where you take the Route de la Recette on the left before entering the village.

(2) You will soon reach the D58. Turn right and, after a few dozen metres, turn left onto Chemin des Six Croix, towards the church. Behind the church, enter the forest: the Bois de Maincourt. Continue straight ahead until you leave the forest, before reaching the hamlet of Le Grand Ambésis. The road serves as a cycle path to Chevreuse.

(3) Follow the signs for Chevreuse. You will then arrive in the commune of Saint-Forget.

(4) At the small crossroads of Allée de la Butte Ronde, Rue de la Roncerie and Rue du Bel-Air, take the lane on the right. This will take you back down into the forest. Keep taking the paths on your left and you will soon reach the D91.

(5) Cross the road and continue straight ahead on Rue de la Mairie de Saint Forget.

(6) At the end, turn right onto Rue de Chevreuse à Dampierre until you arrive in front of the beautiful Château de Dampierre.

(7) Then turn around and go back up the D58 on the left towards Lévis Saint-Nom. Turn right at the first lane, Rue de Châtillon, which will take you back into the woods.

(8) Head west, passing through the Maincourt discovery trail. You will arrive at the end, back on the D58.

(9) Turn right but do not go up (this time on your right) towards the church in Levis, but turn left onto Route de la Recette.

(2) Follow the same route as on the way there to return to the car park at the Étang à Coignières (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 167 m - Pond in Coignières
  2. 1 : km 2.38 - alt. 121 m - Le Pommeret hamlet
  3. 2 : km 3.22 - alt. 113 m - Route de la Recette towards the D58
  4. 3 : km 5.3 - alt. 163 m - Directions: "Chevreuse". - Carrefour des Six Croix
  5. 4 : km 8.27 - alt. 165 m - Allée de la Ronde
  6. 5 : km 9.42 - alt. 99 m - D 91
  7. 6 : km 10.04 - alt. 96 m - Rue de Chevreuse
  8. 7 : km 10.73 - alt. 96 m - Dampierre Castle.
  9. 8 : km 11.67 - alt. 96 m - Follow the - Yvette (l')
  10. 9 : km 13.87 - alt. 108 m - D58
  11. S/E : km 17.71 - alt. 167 m - Pond in Coignières

Notes

Dirt tracks, forest paths and paved roads, no special equipment required.

Comments: We did this walk at the end of August, when the apple trees were already laden with fruit and beautiful flowers adorned the paths and houses in the villages.
This tour took us about five hours, but we took our time to enjoy the scenery and take photos.

Worth a visit

Visit to Dampierre Castle and its grounds.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 45 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
Jean.Taverne
Jean.Taverne

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Nice route, but the description is a bit sketchy as we don't like hiking with a GPS! The cycle path for the first part takes away some of the charm of this beautiful area. The area around the castle is, of course, very busy on a sunny Saturday in May, but overall it's pleasant and varied.

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TOULON
TOULON

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk. Easy. With varied landscapes: fields, meadows, forests,
hamlets...
The only downside: it's difficult to find a place to stop for lunch (as is often the case in this area).

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ovil
ovil

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

To extend the route, we left Saint Rémy l'Honoré and rejoined the start by following the GR11.
It's a shame that we had to do the same stretch twice between the start and point 2, a long straight line with little of interest.
At point 3, I didn't see a sign for "Chevreuse", but there is only one path leading out of Grand Ambésis. However, the sign at the entrance to the forest a little further on directs us to take a path along the edge, whereas the map shows a loop through the forest.
The description lacks a little precision, particularly between points 4 and 5. The map should have been enlarged to show the correct route.

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ealet
ealet

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful route but a little difficult to follow in places (between 3 and 4 in particular)
the landscapes are varied and the small roads are quiet
thanks to the author for sharing

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Bernard Poitoux
Bernard Poitoux

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 25, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Starting from the castle in Dampierre en Yvelines, a superb route through the forest amid sandstone boulders and magnificent beech trees, with wash houses steeped in legend...
Turning at Levis St Nom, the section leading to Coignères was less interesting, so we returned through the forest and the Augoumois ravine and back to Dampierre.
A very beautiful, uncrowded hike that leaves you with a wonderful impression of a mythical forest.
The description is a little difficult to follow after Levis St Nom, but all the paths lead to Dampierre!

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pax78
pax78
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 15, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route with no particular difficulties.
Completed by following the route on the watch in 3 hours and 15 minutes.
(Start from the second car park, on the other side of the lake, 17.88 km)
To find the start, enter "étang du Val Favry" into your GPS.
Thank you for this walk.

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Perreve
Perreve

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route that immerses us in nature in all its different forms.
We encountered a few cyclists and hikers, mainly between 7 and 8 a.m.
The loop that passes by Dampière Castle is of no interest: it runs alongside the main road and crosses a large residential area. This is the only downside to an otherwise very pleasant route.

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visogor
visogor

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 04, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant walk. The description is minimalist. The map provided is more accurate, but it's better to have the app if you're passing through the forest at point 4. Personally, if I do this walk again, I'll start like others from the Church of Lévis St Nom to avoid the return trip from points 1 to 3 (monotonous road). Parking available.

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dalhia78
dalhia78

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 14, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hike completed on Sunday, 13 February. Very pleasant with a wide variety of landscapes. There were walkers and cyclists, as is to be expected on a Sunday, but everyone was courteous. Dampierre Castle is undergoing renovation and is completely covered up!
Many thanks for this route

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Gigi_78
Gigi_78

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb walk with no difficulties whatsoever. Varied landscapes, few people, and the route is fairly easy to follow with a map, description and geolocation verification if in doubt.
Start at the Val Favry pond - car park.
Dampierre - halfway along the route, a great place to stop for a picnic and a coffee (there are terraces)
You can choose your route on the way back: GR11 or not, depending on which side of the river you prefer and the type of landscape you like.
There is some tarmac at times, but it's not too bad.
I highly recommend it!

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Ketchupie
Ketchupie

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike with varied landscapes and very accessible!
However, there were a few issues with the description. You do need to start from the Val Favry lake. Contrary to previous comments, you must follow the cycle sign for Chevreuse.
Overall, it's better to use the map than the comments (with geolocation for a little help).

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Emma T
Emma T

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The description of the hike is perfect EXCEPT at the start... The hike does not start at the small pond in Coignières but at the Val Favry pond, which does have a car park!
Apart from that (which made us lose 30 minutes at the start), everything else is great and really worth the detour!

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VincentLafon
VincentLafon

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 04, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Congratulations to the route planner, it's a precise and very enjoyable hike.

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muriel1960
muriel1960
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 18, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

a beautiful hike, both in meadows and forests,
with some beautiful sections in the forest, sometimes reminiscent of Fontainebleau, especially after point 9; for those who know the area,
the flaws are human: at point 4 in the forest, if you follow the "Chevreuse" cycle sign, you miss the detour through the forest that appears on the map.

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ccr78
ccr78

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We shortened the hike by removing the return trip from Coignières to Levi St Nom, bringing the total distance to 10.5 km
Some details are missing between points 5 and 6

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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.